In a typical earth boring operation, an elongated shaft or so-called drill string often assembled from lengths of tubular drill pipes is subjected to an abrasive environment presented by the surface of the walls of an open earth bore; and, such an abrasive environment results in substantial wear (particularly during rotation of the pipes) causing wear and thinning of portions of certain pipes resulting in parting of the drill string and dropping of such drill string within the bored hole.
It is known in the art to provide components on drill pipes which are provided with wear-resistant materials to prevent premature wear thereof; however, the previously proposed components are generally deficient in that such components are either very expensive to produce or it is difficult to install the wear-resistant material thereon. In addition, the installation process associated with such previously proposed components often impairs the integrity of the drill pipe or the components are not capable of refurbishment in the field except by highly paid craftsman skilled in the particular art or process.